Quebec Writers' Federation

Memoir: Turning Yourself into a Character
2024-10-08 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-15 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-22 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
The memoir used to be a large and weighty book, often written by a man of power, once he had stepped out of the limelight (or been cast out of it). Presidents and prime ministers wrote memoirs; the common people did not.

Flash-forward to the present. People have discovered that they had and still have lives worth writing about. The classic memoir was about the exercise of power in times of crisis. The current memoir is often about a period of time during which the writer learned something about themselves. Which should make all of us potential memoirists.

The form contains a number of moral traps and rough spots. How much fiction can you put in a memoir? What happens when you forget something, or misremember? How much can you reveal about yourself and others before you cross a line you might regret?

We’ll look at several examples of memoir, from Harry Crews to Kyo Maclear and others. With Crews, his story begins before his birth; is that still memoir? Mark Abley’s travel story is clearly designed to tell as little as possible about its author. In sociologist mode, Daniel Allen Cox brings in a slew of outside sources to bolster his self-inquiry. Where do we want to situate ourselves?

That, of course, will depend on our inquiries. A memoir can be about someone else – how you did or did not live with that person. Memoirs can spring from a mystery – but not always. All of them involve the writer wanting to achieve greater self-understanding, which means we have to turn ourselves into a character to do it.

The workshop will be a mixture of reading one another’s projects and proposals, and considering excerpts from other books. Participants are free to submit material a week or two before the first workshop. This material will be part of class discussions. Please submit to David.Homel@concordia.ca. For the first submission, please do not go beyond 5 or 10 standard pages. See you there!

David Homel wrote 13 works of fiction – historical novels, murder mysteries and domestic fiction – before his first memoir in 2020, and he has gone on to work in that form since. The experience as a memoirist continues to bear upon his novel-writing, enriching and expanding it. The moral aspects of the art of memory and disclosure continue to attract him, along with the paradox of turning himself into a character in order to get at the truths of his past lives. He has also worked as a journalist and a documentary filmmaker, both assets for memoir writing,

Hooked: Writing Compelling YA Fiction
2024-10-09 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-16 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-23 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Get ready to unveil the gripping storyteller within you and keep readers turning those pages! Dive into an exciting eight-week workshop focused on techniques to captivate young adult readers. We’ll look at everything from crafting vibrant characters and heart-pounding conflicts to honing structure and pacing in YA fiction.

For our first session, bring along a favorite YA novel to share with the group. By week two, be sure to have the first chapter of your work-in-progress (up to 10 pages) for some feedback exchange. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a roadmap to your story, completed scenes, and an inciting hook for your novel-in-the-making.

Each session will incorporate a mix of writing prompts, critique sessions, exploration of writing techniques, sneak peeks into YA literature, and lively group discussions. We’ll be reading various writing styles, structuring vibrant dialogue, and feeling all the YA vibes. We’ll even take a sneak peek into the Canadian publishing world.

Valuable feedback from both the workshop leader and your fellow writers on your opening chapter will keep you motivated and inspired. Together, we’ll work at captivating readers.

Don’t forget your writing tools for each session. All writers, whether seasoned pros or fresh faces, are welcome! Short story, graphic novel and prose writers, you’re invited too!

The following Suggested readings will sharpen your writing skills, but are not necessary for the workshop:

Corner-Bryant, Helen, and Kathryn Price. On Editing: How to Edit Your Novel the Professional Way. John Murray Learning, 2018.

Prose, Francine. Reading like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. HarperCollins, 2009.

Strunk Jr, William. The Elements of Style: Classic Edition. Spectrum Ink, 2018.

Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. Faber and Faber, 2008.

Lea Beddia is the author of Take Off! (Rebel Mountain Press) and Outta Here (Lorimer). She is also a storyteller, appearing regularly on stage with Confabulation. Born and raised in Montreal, she now teaches in Joliette, Quebec, where she lives with her husband and three children. With a passion for supporting literacy among young adults, especially for striving readers, Lea is releasing two fresh YA novels set to hit bookshelves in 2025 and 2026. Find out more at www.leabeddia.com, or say hi to Lea Beddia on Facebook or Instagram @BeddiaLea.

The Vivid and Continuous Dream: A Short Story Workshop
2024-10-09 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-16 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-21 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-23 20:00 - 22:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
In March, in 1918, an Olympic swimmer accepts a job rehabilitating the Polio-ravaged legs of a rich young woman, not knowing the mess of love and wreckage that await their future selves; in Western Australia, a bullied adolescent watches his high school tormentor drown beneath the surface of an aquifer—he expects reprieve, but all his life he will sense the boy, resinous, in the mist and the warm wet air; in Spokane, a man embarks on a strange, galvanizing quest to reclaim an heirloom headdress that once belonged to his grandmother, and the journey leaves him wondering who he is, or who he used to be, or who he might yet become.

The best stories ask questions but don’t dare give all the answers; they take the reader on a journey and leave them with a brief sliver of enlightenment. Yes: love is worth the cost to body and soul, in 1918 as much as now. No: there is no easy escape from regret, and good people will suffer if they stoop to the level of their abusers. Perhaps what matters is not to complete the task or reclaim our past, but to reassure ourselves that we tried.

This workshop is a guided discussion about the plot, characters, point of view, structure, and language (the mechanics or “craft”) of participants’ short stories, as well as an investigation of each story’s aboutness, patterns, emotional plot, and central question(s)—that is, all those hard-to-define elements that make fiction what it is.

Additionally, the workshop aims to foster community among the attendees, to bring together writers of similar skill and drive, and to encourage the kind of creative energy that crackles between new practitioners.

Some Learning Objectives

Critical reading, and the ability to identify the roots of a story’s problems, particularly with regard to dramatic structure and conflict. Conversely: the ability to identify the roots of a story’s successes, especially when it seems intangible or difficult to pin down.

Close reading, even of your own work, for strongest-possible sentences. (They are, after all, the building blocks of fiction.)

To immerse yourself in, and engage with, literature among a cohort of people who are similarly immersed and engaged in literature; to enjoy it.

In our first meeting, we will establish a schedule, review workshop etiquette, spend some time meeting each other, and do a few writing exercises. From then on, each session will consist of detailed discussion and feedback on participants’ stories. The goal, always, is to offer the writer of each story constructive suggestions to help them improve the story and their craft. We are, I always say, in this together.

In preparation: Please bring a short story of no more than 2500 words to the first session.

D. W. Wilson is the author of Once You Break a Knuckle, a collection of short stories, and Ballistics, a novel. His work has appeared in lit mags across the globe, and in 2011 he won the BBC National Short Story Award for “The Dead Roads.” Since then he has been shortlisted for numerous fiction prizes, and has won the CBC Short Story Prize and the Manchester Fiction Prize. He taught creative writing at the University of Victoria and Brandon University and is currently a fiction mentor for the University of King’s College’s writing MFA.

Book Launch: A Way to Be Happy by Caroline Adderson
2024-10-10 17:00 | Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore, 2220 McGill College Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3P9, Canada
Thursday, October 10, 2024, 5:00 pm

Vancouver author Caroline Adderson will be reading from her Giller long-listed collection of short stories A Way to Be Happy at Librairie Paragraphe, 2220 McGill College Avenue, Thursday October 10th at 5pm.

Poetry and the Tiny Sea in the Ear
2024-10-10 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-17 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-24 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
The tiny sea in the earand the moth wing in the mind, which wait.— Don McKay, “Early Instruments”

This workshop invites participants to explore our “early instruments” of imagination and experience through the language of poetry.

“The excitement of metaphor,” writes Don McKay, “stems from the injection of wilderness into language.” Add to this idea the excitement of any element of poetic making.

During these eight weeks, we will draft and develop poems that tap the surprise of tension and release, tease out what’s wild in the everyday, refresh expectation and sharpen expression.

In each session, we will respond to each other’s poems and work with one or more prompts. In most sessions we will look briefly at a strong contemporary poem and consider what we might borrow from it as a springboard to our writing.

All levels of experience are welcome.

Susan Gillis (she/her) has taught Creative Writing at Concordia University and John Abbott College, and has led poetry workshops with QWF, Los Parronales (Chile), Blue Met, in schools and in the community. Her four books have been nominated for several awards; Volta (2002) was awarded the A.M. Klein Prize. She is a founding member of the collaborative poetry group Yoko’s Dogs (Whisk, 2013; Rhinoceros, 2016; Caution Tape, 2021). Her most recent book is Yellow Crane (Brick 2018). She works as a freelance editor and mentor.

Launch of The Encore Poetry Anthology; In Dialogue
2024-10-10 19:30 - 23:00 | Cardinal Tearoom, 5326 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Thursday, October 10, 2024, 7:00 pm ET

Join the Encore Poetry Project for the launch of the second edition of The Encore Poetry Anthology; In Dialogue. There will be readings by contributors, charcuterie, and live music!

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Confabulation MTL Presents: Company's Coming
2024-10-10 20:00 | La Sala Rossa, 4848 St. Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 2R5, Canada
Thursday, October 10, 2024, 8:00 pm ET

Confabulation, Montreal’s original autobiographical storytelling event is back for another night of stories, true as we can tell them!

For October, we’re presenting the suitably spooky theme Company’s coming — stories of house guests, hauntings, and other kinds of visitors. We’re expecting some unexpected takes on this theme. Visitors wanted and unwanted, shocking arrivals, and drop-ins of all kinds.

We’re looking for storytellers — so if you’ve got a story to pitch, e-mail us at tellastory@confabulation.ca, or check out our pitch form: confabulation.ca/tell-a-story.

Confabulation stories are typically 6-8 minutes long. Whether you’re a seasoned storyteller or a nervous newbie, our producers will be there to guide you and help you craft a powerful stage presence.

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Pursuing the Erotic
2024-10-10 20:00 - 22:00, 2024-10-17 20:00 - 22:00 | Online via Zoom
This is an expanded version of the three-hour workshop “Identifying (with) the Erotic” offered in July 2022. It progresses from initial references to erotica by old hands (Anaïs Nin), incidental practitioners (James Baldwin) and newer writers (Ruel Johnson) to consider other select works in prose, poetry, and comics. You do not have to have attended the 2022 workshop to enroll in this one.

The workshop continues the exploration of what makes the erotic not only a sensual genre but a life-affirming one with participants contributing their own writing as well as sourcing that of other practitioners. While creating sexy characters and scenes with stimulating language is part of the process, and knowing your audience is crucial (there is a difference between romance, erotica and pornography), the emphasis remains on craft and telling a story that engages readers’ imagination, exciting not only the body but all of the senses. And this without apology.

Robert Edison Sandiford is the author of several books, among them the award-winning The Tree of Youth & Other Stories, And Sometimes They Fly (a novel) and Sand for Snow (memoir). He has also written graphic novels for NBM Publishing. In 2003, he and the poet Linda M. Deane founded the Barbadian cultural resource ArtsEtc Inc. He has worked as a publisher, teacher and, with Warm Water Productions, producer. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in journals, magazines and anthologies. Currently working on another novel,his most recent titleis Fairfield from DC Books.

Shut Up & Write! with QWF (Virtual)
2024-10-12 10:00 - 12:30 | Online – Please RSVP to receive a Zoom link
Saturday, October 12, 10:00 am–12:30 pmOnline via Zoom—RSVP below to receive the Zoom link

Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Register below to do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do. Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5-minute breaks in between.

This event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.

The Zoom link will be sent out a day or two before the session.

Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

10:00–10:25: Writing 110:25–10:30: Break10:30–10:55: Writing 210:55–11:00: Break11:00–11:25: Writing 311:25–11:30: Break11:30–11:55: Writing 411:55–12:00: Break12:00–12:25: Writing 5

To receive the Zoom link, RSVP below. You will receive the Zoom link a few days before the session.

Note: RSVPs for virtual Shut Up & Write! sessions close 24 hours before the session. If there is no option to RSVP, RSVPs are closed.

The Poet’s Toolbox
2024-10-15 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-22 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Do you want to write poetry but have trouble getting started? Are you interested in stepping outside of your comfort zone to generate new pieces? This workshop will help you to develop your voice as a poet by kindling your creativity with the support of a variety of writing tools, prompts, poetic forms, and other techniques.

In each session, participants will be presented with some combination of readings, writing constraints, or guided prompts. These will include assignments to write new pieces using different poetic forms including ekphrastic poetry (verse inspired by visual art), erasure/blackout poetry, OULIPO games, centos, prose poems, and haiku. Participants will be encouraged to share their writing results and will have a chance to discuss each other’s poems.

By the end of this 8-week generative poetry writing workshop, participants will have a chance to produce a portfolio of approximately 8 new pieces of creative work.

Greg Santos is a poet, editor, and educator. His most recent book is Ghost Face (2020) and he has published several other poetry collections. His writing has appeared in CBC First Person, The Walrus, Geist, AGNI, The Best American Poetry Blog, and World Literature Today. He has worked with the QWF’s Writers in the Community Program, Vallum Society for Education in Arts & Letters, Poetry in Voice, and the Thomas More Institute to spread the joy of verse and creative writing to diverse communities. He is the Editor in Chief of the QWF’s online literary journal carte blanche. He is an adoptee of Cambodian, Portuguese, and Spanish heritage. Greg lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal with his wife and two children.

Alyson and Su Read at Librairie Paragraphe
2024-10-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore, 2220 McGill College Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 3P9, Canada
Thursday, October 17, 2024, 5:00-7:00 pm ET

Librarie Paragraphe Bookstore and Renaissance Press present readings by Alyson Hope and Su J. Sokol.

Join us as authors Alyson Hope and Su J. Sokol discuss and sign their books The Smell of Rain and Run J Run.

Admission is free.

About the Books

The Smell of Rain

Each family has their story, and each one is different, depending on who tells it.

Fighting encroaching darkness, Nina picks up a pencil and begins to write. Her deeply personal entries tell a story of love, loss, and learning how to piece it all back together. Weaving her way through past and present, she spins a kaleidoscopic and increasingly fragmented narrative.

“I am a person today, but have no idea what will be left of me tomorrow,” writes Nina.

Both delicate and iridescent, The Smell of Rain is bound to make you think: what happens when the fragile thread of life begins to fray?

Run J Run

Jeremy, a high school English teacher coming to grips with a shattered marriage and haunted by the brother he lost, unexpectedly falls in love with his best friend, Zak. Attractive, wildly unconventional, and happy in an open relationship with his partner Annie, Zak seems to embody everything missing from Jeremy’s life, but when the arrest and death of a marginalized student at the Brooklyn high school where they both teach trigger Zak’s mental breakdown and slow descent, Jeremy and Annie are compelled to cross boundaries, both external and internal, in a desperate attempt to save him.

About the Authors

Alyson Hope is a writer who currently lives in Montreal, the island of Tiohtià:ke – unceded land of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation. In 2014, Hope received her Master’s Degree in literature from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Based largely on ecocritical theory, her thesis examines the multi-faceted relationship between nature and the characters in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Hope’s love and respect for the natural world is what drew her to the study of ecocriticism. The Smell of Rain, published by the brilliant folks of Renaissance Press, is Hope’s debut fictional novel.

Su J. Sokol is a social rights advocate and a writer of speculative and interstitial fiction. A former legal services lawyer from New York City, xe now makes Montréal xyr home. Sokol is the author of three novels: Cycling to Asylum, which was long-listed for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic and has been optioned for development into a feature-length film, Run J Run (Renaissance Press 2019!) and Zee (2020). Sokol’s short fiction has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. When xe is not writing, battling slumlords, bringing evil bureaucracies to their knees, and smashing borders, Sokol curates and participates in readings and literary events in Canada and abroad.

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Literary Lunch
2024-10-18 12:00 | Chez Delmo, 275 Notre Dame West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Friday, October 18, 2024, 12:00 pm ET

Please join us for an impromptu writers lunch at Chez Delmo (275 Notre Dame, west, Montreal, QC). All creatives welcome to discuss and share our work in a friendly, relaxed setting. Each person pays their own food/drink; there is no other cost. Just good food/drink, good company—share your work, your dreams, your aspirations, your accomplishments with other writers. 12:00 noon Friday October 18th, 2024. Organized by Lis McLoughlin/ NatureCulture www.nature-culture.net and www.writingtheland.org

Shut Up & Write! with QWF (In Person)
2024-10-18 12:30 - 15:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Friday, October 18, 2024, 12:30 pm–3:00 pmFree, In PersonQWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Ave., Westmount)

Register for the session by filling out the RSVP form below.

Looking for some dedicated, quiet writing space?

Join us for an in-person Shut Up & Write session at the QWF office!

Do all that writing you’ve been meaning to do, and meet a few of your fellow QWF members. Using the Pomodoro technique, participants write in 25-minute bursts, with 5-minute breaks in between.

This event is for QWF members only. Not a member? Learn about becoming a member.

Please note that these sessions are designed for silent writing, rather than discussing or getting feedback on work.

12:30–12:55: Writing 112:55–1:00: Break1:00–1:25: Writing 21:25–1:30: Break1:30–1:55: Writing 31:55–2:00: Break2:00–2:25: Writing 42:25–2:30: Break2:30–2:55: Writing 5

To register, RSVP below.

Getting to the QWF Office

Our office is located on the top floor of the Atwater Library and Computer Centre, in Room 3.

Address: 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3Westmount, QC H3Z 1X4

Closest Metro: Atwater Station

Closest Bus lines: 24, 63, 90, 104, 138, 144, 150

Accessibility:

The QWF Office is fully accessible by wheelchair from the side entrance on Tupper Street. Once inside, there is an elevator to the second floor, where the QWF office is.

Learn more about the office location and accessibility.

The Decade Reading: Metatron Press 10-Year Anniversary
2024-10-20 17:00 - 22:00 | Le Système, 7119 rue Saint-Hubert, Montreal
Sunday, October 20, 2024, 5:00-10:00 pm ET

Metatron Press presents: A 10-Year-Anniversary Reading and Party

Join Metatron Press and friends for an abundantly ambitious reading to mark and celebrate our 10 year anniversary! This 3-part reading brings together a staggeringly brilliant group of voices that we have published over the past 10 years, including local legends, poets, and writers traveling to us from Ontario, Saskatchewan, California, New York, and Massachusetts.

For 10 years, Metatron has been passionately championing, preserving, and celebrating poetry and experimental writing. Along the way, they’ve hosted 70 events, published 50 groundbreaking books, and built a rich archive of digital poetry, creating a platform for thousands of voices to resonate with those who know how to listen.

Drop in anytime between 5 PM and 10 PM for an evening of electrifying readings, delicious drinks (cocktails, mocktails), snacks, and engaging conversation. As you immerse yourself in the words, let Field Note set the sonic atmosphere between and after the readings.

Tickets are available now—grab an Early Bird ticket at a reduced rate before they sell out (limited quantities until October 1st). Don’t miss this unforgettable celebration of poetry, the written word, and the ancient art of listening.

Readers

SARA SUTTERLIN ❋ Author of Baby + I Wanted to Be the KnifeALI PINKNEY (Toronto) ❋ Author of TampionLEE SUKSI (Toronto) ❋ Author of The NervesLORA MATHIS (Oakland) ❋ Author of The Snakes Came BackFAITH PARÉ ❋ GLYPHÖRIA Contributor + Winner of the Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging WritersJAY RITCHIE ❋ Author of How to Appear Perfectly Indifferent While Crying on the InsideLIZ BOWEN (Syracruse) ❋ Author of SugarbloodVIOLA CHEN ❋ Author of No ProblematicsOLIVIA WOOD ❋ Author of A Work No One Told You AboutMARCELA HUERTA ❋ Author of TropicoTRYNNE DELANEY ❋ Author of the half-drownedSENNAH YEE (Toronto) ❋ Author of How Do I Look?SOFIA BANZHAF (Toronto) ❋ Author of Pony CastleBRAD CASEY ❋ Author of The Idiot On Fire + Host of Metatron Podcast MetacösmGREG ZORKO (Massachusetts) ❋ Author of Ghost In The ClubFRANKIE BARNET ❋ Author of An Indoor Kind of Girl + Kim: A Novel IdeaCASON SHARPE (Toronto) ❋ Author of Our Lady of Perpetual Realness and Other StoriesALASDAIR REES (Saskatoon) ❋ GLYPHÖRIA Editor + Saskatchewan’s first Youth Poet LaureateALEX MANLEY ❋ Author of We Are All Just Animals + PlantsHANNAH KARPINSKI ❋ Metatron’s Assistant Editor + Metatron Author To-Be!

𝘈𝘊𝘊𝘌𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘉𝘐𝘓𝘐𝘛𝘠Le Systéme is a fully accessible space

𝘚𝘊𝘏𝘌𝘋𝘜𝘓𝘌 (𝘈𝘗𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘟𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘛𝘌)Reading 001 – 5:30-6:15 pm (Readers TBA)Reading 002 – 7-7:45 pm (Readers TBA)Reading 003 – 8:30-9:15 pm (Readers TBA)

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Writing the Personal Essay
2024-10-21 18:00 - 20:00 | QWF Office, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Room 3, Westmount, QC, H3Z 1X4, Canada
Have you ever wanted to see your words on the pages of your favourite newspaper, magazine, or website? The personal essay is a subgenre of creative nonfiction that focuses on unique stories with universal appeal told from a first-person perspective. In this 8-week course, you’ll learn everything from how to generate ideas to how to structure your first and second drafts to how to pitch your completed piece.

The course will consist of teacher-led instruction, at-home readings, generative in-class writing exercises, and guided peer feedback. You will also be expected to work on your essay at home, between classes. By the end of this session, you will have one completed personal essay.

Week 1: What is the personal essay?

Overview of the genre and generating ideas.

Week 2: Structure

Defining the elements of the personal essay and exploring structure.

Week 3: First Drafts, Part I

Getting words on the page.

Week 4: First Drafts, Part II

Employing techniques from creative writing.

Week 5: Revision

A step-by-step guide for revising your own work.

Week 6: Second Drafts

How to polish your essay and turn it into something publishable.

Week 7: Pitching and Publishing

How to find target outlets and write a great pitch.

Week 8: Ask-Me-Anything with a Working Editor

Guest Editor (TBA) and wrap-up.Julie Matlin is a writer with pieces appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chatelaine, The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post, CBC, and other publications. She has one screenplay in development and is currently querying an essay collection, Such a Nice Jewish Girl, about the intersection of faith, grief, and identity, which was supported by a Canada Council for the Arts grant. She has a weakness for puppies, naps, and the music of Jack White. You can follow her on twitter @jmatlin or Instagram and Threads @j.matlin. Portfolio: www.juliematin.com

The Power of Fiction Readings and Discussion
2024-10-21 19:00 | Argo Bookshop, 1841A Ste-Catherine St. West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Rescheduled to: Monday, October 21, 2024, 7:00 pm ETFree RSVP via Ticketsource

Please join Argo Books for an evening with Danila Botha, Nora Gold, Mireille Silcoff and Sivan Slapak, where they will be performing readings of their work, followed by a discussion about their craft, common themes and personal inspiration. There will also be an open Q&A and time for book signing. This event is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP on TicketSource.

About the Authors

Danila Botha is the author of three short story collections, Got No Secrets and For All the Men (and Some of the Women I’ve Known). Her new collection, Things that Cause Inappropriate Happiness was published in April by Guernica Editions. Her novels include Too Much on the Inside and A Place for People Like Us (2025).

Dr. Nora Gold, born and raised in Montreal, is the prize-winning author of five books and the editor-in-chief of the prestigious literary journal Jewish Fiction. Gold’s books have won a Canadian Jewish Literary Award, a Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award, and praise from Cynthia Ozick, Dara Horn, and Alice Munro. noragold.com

Mireille Silcoff is the editor of Best Canadian Essays 2023, and is a regular essayist at The New York Times, where she covers culture and society. Mireille is the author of four books, including the multi-award-winning story collection Chez l’Arabe. Mireille began her career in the early 1990s as a nightclub reporter at the Montreal Mirror. She has written extensively about drugs and psychedelics. Mireille is currently writing a book with Vin Mon Lapin (Phaidon, 2025), and is completing her latest collection of short fiction. She runs the raucous discussion salon Hot Chain.

Sivan Slapak is a Montreal-based writer. Her work has appeared in The New Quarterly, Montreal Serai, carte blanche, and collections published by Véhicule Press and Guernica Editions. She was a finalist for the CBC Quebec Writing Competition, won the TNQ Peter Hinchcliffe Fiction Award once, and was shortlisted for it twice. Here Is Still Here is her first book.

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2024 Literary Oktoberfest
2024-10-23 19:00 - 23:00 | Riverside St-Henri, 5020 Saint Ambrose St., Montreal, Quebec, H4C 2G1, Canada
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 7:00-11:00 pm ET

Yolk is excited to announce its second annual Literary Oktoberfest! Join us for a night inspired by the atmospheric outdoor beer gardens of Oktoberfest and designed to connect writers, agents, publishers, booksellers, and literary support organizations in the city of Montreal. The evening will begin with three keynote speakers—Nour Abi-Nakhoul (Editor-in-Chief, Maisonneuve Magazine), Ashley Obscura (Founder & Managing Editor, Metatron Press), and Lori Schubert (Executive Director, Quebec Writers’ Federation)—sharing insights about their publishing journeys, and conclude with two readings by prominent authors Liz Howard and Neil Smith. Throughout the evening there will be time to meet new writers, industry professionals, and discover what this city has to offer.

The 10$ entry fee includes a free drink ticket. Limited spots available! A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door (10$, no drink ticket included). This is an 18+ event.

When: Wednesday October 23rd, 2024, 7pm-11pm.

Where: Riverside St. Henri (5020 Saint Ambroise St, Montreal)

Participating organizations tabling at the event include:

Association of English Language Publishers of Quebec

carte blanche

Concordia University Press

Headlight Anthology

Librairie St. Henri Books

Librairie De Stiil Booksellers

Linda Leith Publishing

Maisonneuve Magazine

Metatron Press

Metonymy Press

Montreal Review of Books

Poetry Matters

Quebec Writers’ Federation

Soliloquies

Turret House Press

…and more to be announced

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Book Launch: Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy
2024-10-24 19:00 | Espace Drawn and Quarterly, 176 rue Bernard Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, H2T 2K2, Canada
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 7:00 pm ET

Join us for the launch of Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy, a deeply moving memoir that explores the journey of caregiving and sisterhood through the lens of mental illness. This poignant narrative shares the story of Susan’s older sister’s diagnosis of schizophrenia at the age of thirteen and the emotional and psychological toll it took on their family.

Grundy’s candid storytelling delves into the complex dynamics of sibling relationships, guilt, love and resilience, offering readers an intimate look at the challenges faced by caregivers. As Mad Sisters flips through five decades of memories, the memoir brings to light the impact of mental illness on family members and advocates for systemic change in psychiatric care.

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Violet Hour: 10 Years of Metonymy Press
2024-10-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Librairie Pulp Books & Cafe, 3952 Wellington Street, Montreal, Quebec, H4G1V3, Canada
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 7:00 pm ET

Join us for a special Violet Hour at Pulp Bookstore in Verdun, celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Metonymy Press.

Created in 2014 by Ashley Fortier and Oliver Fugler, Metonymy Press aims to reduce barriers to publishing for authors whose perspectives are underrepresented in order to produce quality materials relevant to queer, feminist, and social justice communities.

Violet Hour’s Christopher DiRaddo will be speaking with publishers Ashley and Oliver about Metonymy’s beginnings and the past decade. We’ll also be hearing from press authors H Felix Chau Bradley and Kama La Mackerel, and there will be readings from Ralph Haddad and Leila Marshy, both of whom appear in Metonymy’s recent release, El Ghourabaa: A Queer and Trans Collection of Oddities.

Hosted by Christopher DiRaddo

A partnership between Metonymy Press, Librairie Pulp Books & Cafe, The Équipe de recherche en études Queer au Québec and Violet Hour.

About the Press

Metonymy Press is based in Tio’tià:ke, unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territory. For ten years, Metonymy has been publishing literary works by emerging queer and trans writers — what one author described as “books that reframe power and affirm life.” They really want to keep gay book lovers satisfied.

Metonymy is the project of Ashley Fortier and Oliver Fugler. They met on their first day of high school and have been writing together and editing for each other ever since. Their work is supported by a fantastic roster of collaborators, including acquisitions editors H Felix Chau Bradley, Kama La Mackerel, and Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch.

About the Writers

H Felix Chau Bradley is a writer and editor living in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). They are the author of Personal Attention Roleplay, a story collection. You can find their recent work in carte blanche, ESPACE art actuel, the Ex-Puritan, GLYPHÖRIA, the Humber Literary Review, PRISM International, Words Without Borders and Xtra.

Ralph Haddad specialized in Islamic Studies with a Concentration on emerging Gender and Sexuality studies coming out of and around Southwest Asia. He currently serves as the Head of Advocacy for Basmeh and Zeitooneh, a Syrian refugee-led organization based in Lebanon, where he aims to advance the cause of refugee protection at such a critical juncture in Lebanese history. Ralph is Lebanese-born and currently resides in Montreal, but is perpetually in search of home.

Kama La Mackerel is an educator, visual artist, performer, writer and translator who works between and across English, French and Mauritian Kreol. They are the author of the award-winning poetry collection ZOM-FAM (Metonymy Press) and have translated works by Canadian writers Vivek Shraya and Kai Cheng Thom. They have lectured, performed and exhibited their work internationally. Find them on social media @kamalamackerel

Leila Marshy is a Palestinian-Montrealer. During the First Intifada, she worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent, the Palestinian Mental Health Association, and Medical Aid for Palestine. In 2011, she founded Friends of Hutchison, a groundbreaking community group bringing Hasidic and non-Hasidic neighbours together in dialogue. Her first novel, The Philistine, was published in 2018 and in French in 2021. Her collection of stories, My Thievery of the People, will be out in March 2025. She is Fiction Editor at Baraka Books.

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